Instead, Williams was penalised by Ramos for three code violations during her 6-2, 6-4 loss to Japan’s Naomi Osaka on Saturday: one for getting coaching signals; one for breaking her racket, which cost her a point; and one for calling the chair umpire a thief, which cost her a game.
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Williams was docked a point for smashing her racket (Credit: Julian Finney)
“I’ve seen other men call other umpires several things,” Williams said in the post-match press conference. “I’m here fighting for women’s rights and for women’s equality and for all kinds of stuff. For me to say ‘thief,’ and for him to take a game, it made me feel like it was a sexist remark. He’s never taken a game from a man because they said ‘thief’.
“For me, it blows my mind, but I’m going to continue to fight for women.”
Williams was fined $17,000 for her reaction to the penalties.
In the cartoon, the umpire asks Osaka: “Can you just let her win?”
JK Rowling is among those who criticised the drawing by Mark Knight but the paper has doubled-down.
Damon Johnston, the Herald Sun editor, said the cartoon “rightly mocks poor behaviour by a tennis legend” and that “Mr Knight has the full support of everyone [at the paper].”
Knight told the Herald Sun: “The cartoon was just about Serena on the day having a tantrum.
“A few days beforehand I had actually drawn a cartoon of Australian Nick Kyrgios and his bad behaviour at the US Open, so I’m not targeting [Williams]. Serena is a champion.”
